[For Seniors] Enjoy and Beat the Summer Heat! July Craft Ideas

An ornament of a morning glory and a watering can

[Summer Craft] Morning Glory and Watering Can Ornament

Here’s a recommended idea for a summer craft to make at a day service center: “Morning Glories and a Watering Can” ornaments.

Create the morning glories using double-sided origami paper and washi (thin calligraphy paper) for a colorful yet gentle finish.

For the pot, edge a paper cup with paper cord and add paper-straw supports to give it a three-dimensional look.

The watering can uses a kitchen paper or toilet paper roll for the body, with a paper straw inserted as the spout.

Since all the materials are paper, it’s safe to make.

The finished piece is a cheerful work that also makes a delightful summer interior decoration.

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kojifumi

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Adult tanzaku decorations

Tanabata Adult Tanzaku Decorations [Easy Craft] [100-Yen Shop DIY] [Tanabata Craft] #100yen #DIY #DAISO #recreation #dayservice #seniors #craft #easy #Tanabata

Let’s make a sophisticated tanzaku ornament using mizuhiki.

Cut black construction paper into a 15 cm diameter circle to create the base, then decorate it with bamboo leaves cut from Japanese-pattern origami.

Place the leaves on the left, right, and bottom areas, leaving the center open.

Make tanzaku strips from white paper and origami, punch a hole at the top, and secure them to a ring-shaped mizuhiki using a chenille stem (pipe cleaner).

Punch a hole at the top of the base as well, thread the pipe cleaner through, and form a loop.

Tie a red cord to the pipe cleaner to finish.

Write your wish on the tanzaku and display it in your room.

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sasashina

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Summer greetings with a uchiwa (hand fan)

It’s not too late! Sending midsummer greetings with a hand fan!

Here’s an idea for a “summer greeting fan” made with a unique technique using a plastic bag.

Turn a plastic bag inside out and inflate it, then apply paint or ink to its surface and press it onto a plain hand fan.

The wrinkles of the bag become patterns as they are, creating unexpected and beautiful designs.

You can freely express motifs like fireworks or flowers, and if you add a message to the finished fan, you’ll have a warm summer greeting.

The process is simple yet lets your sensibility shine, making for an enjoyable creative time.

It’s a gentle summer letter that sends both coolness and heart.

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Summer greetings with shaved ice

Let’s have fun and try writing a summer greeting with shaved ice. @riritube

Shaved ice topped with strawberry or melon syrup is especially delicious on a hot day, isn’t it? Some senior care facilities may also serve shaved ice as a snack.

So let’s try making a summer greeting card featuring shaved ice, one of the treats we crave in summer.

In addition to drawing shaved ice on a postcard, you can also create it using items like kitchen sponges or bubble wrap used for packing.

With a bit of creativity, you can make summer greeting cards adorned with all kinds of shaved ice designs.

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Nakajima Junko

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Summer greeting card with sunflowers

Kids can do it easily too! There's still time to write your summer greeting card! [Summer Card]

We’re pleased to share an idea for a handmade card that captures the brightness of summer: a “Sunflower Summer Greeting.” Draw the sunflower’s outline with a brush pen, then use paints to color the petals and center—this hand-drawn touch adds a special warmth.

The slight bleeding and roughness become part of the charm, creating a soft, gentle impression.

Add a line wishing the recipient good health to make it a heartfelt piece.

Sunflowers are summer blooms that brighten anyone’s mood.

It’s a summer greeting that delivers joy: the pleasure of drawing and the happiness of sending, all in one card that truly reaches the heart.

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kojifumi

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Watermelons and mosquito coils

Easy-to-draw summer greeting (2): Watermelon and mosquito coil

Speaking of summer foods, watermelon also comes to mind, right? How about adding a watermelon illustration to your summer greeting card? You can also draw other items you often see in summer, like mosquito coils.

Watercolors are fine to use, but here’s a neat idea.

Before painting with watercolors, sketch your underdrawing with a candle.

A “resist” technique means drawing or coating the areas you don’t want to paint with wax.

The wax repels moisture, so those parts won’t take on color.

For a watermelon, apply wax to the seeds; for a mosquito coil, to the spiral.

It will give you a clean finish.

Give it a try using this as a reference!

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Nakajima Junko

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Summer greetings with tomatoes

Let's try drawing a summer greeting with tomatoes, the summer vegetable! ❣️

How about a summer greeting card featuring an illustration of tomatoes? Tomatoes are one of the quintessential summer vegetables.

Biting into a well-chilled, bright red, juicy tomato fills your mouth with delicious flavor.

Many older adults may have grown tomatoes themselves or often enjoyed them in the summer.

Lycopene and vitamin C found in tomatoes are said to help protect against UV rays.

And since tomatoes are mostly water, they’re also great for rehydrating a body depleted by the summer heat.

An illustration of tomatoes is perfect for a midsummer greeting that shows you care about someone’s well-being in the heat.

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Nakajima Junko

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